PhD in Art

The  School of Art at Goldsmiths, University of London, is pleased to invite applications for its world leading Art Research MPhil/PhD programme. 

This programme runs two recruitment rounds for September 2027 entry:  

To apply for a place on the Programme that allows you then apply for the Generation Delta, Migrant Futures Institute or ESRC/SENSS scholarship schemes, you will have to submit your application by Thursday November 12, 2026 5pm GMT. To apply for a place on the programme in the self-funded/ otherwise funded round, you will have to submit your application by the spring round deadline of May 4, 2027 5pm GMT. For details on both rounds and the application process, please consult the “How To Apply“ section on our  webpage. 

Our programme supports innovative research in Fine Art, Curating, Art Writing and across disciplines at the highest level of ambitious speculation and rigorous experimentation. We welcome proposals for research in any area of Fine Art, Curating and Art Writing and will give priority to proposals for research within the areas of interest of our faculty in the School of Art so we can best support projects. We also support supervision across Subject Areas and Schools to allow for access to the broad range of outstanding research expertise and supervisory experience Goldsmiths has to offer across disciplines.  

Research degrees on the programme have two interconnected elements: the research work that you carry out individually with support from your supervisory team, and a programme of installations, workshops and seminars which bring you into dynamic dialogue with other research students and a wider community inside and outside Goldsmiths. Beyond this, research degrees are further supported by courses and professional development provided by the Graduate School coordinating postgraduate research across College, and our broad range of CHASE research networks and SENSS training opportunities. 

Recent and upcoming visiting faculty on the programme include Daniel Blanga Gubbay, Filipa César, Kent Chan, Tyler Coburn, Revital Cohen and Tuur van Balen, keyon gaskin, Avery Gordon, Martin Hargreaves, Onyeka Igwe, Amy Ireland, Yuen Fong Ling, Raimundas Malasauskas, Francesco Manacorda, Lola Olufemi, Lydia Ouramahne, Didem Pekün, Lucia Pietroiusti, SERAFINE1369, Noémie Solomon, Janet Toro, Pieternel Vermoortel, Andros Zins-Browne and many others. 

For production, the Department of Art has eleven specialist Art Practice Areas providing expert support for a wide variety of processes that complement and extend traditional disciplines, from metalwork, casting and woodwork through ceramics, textiles and print to photography, 3D printing, graphics, video editing, animation and 3D modelling. Full-time students have access to studio space, and all MPhil/PhD students may make use of bookable spaces subject to availability; regularly exhibiting practice-based work is enabled through our programme of installations that enable public engagement with the research projects. 

The Programme and the School at large host the Art and Ecology Research Centre and the Choreographic Research Unit and support a broad range of research clusters including Feminist Duration and Animate Assembly, among others.

The Programme is proud to champion the Generation Delta project to improve access to postgraduate research and careers for BAME women.

If you have specific questions about the Programme, its scope and ambitions, or if you need to find out more about our processes, please contact the Programme Director Dr Edgar Schmitz on e.schmitz@gold.ac.uk or pre-application advisor Prof Michael Newman on m.newman@gold.ac.uk.